States Chronicle - Latest Breaking World News

Sunday, January 17, 2021
Log in
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
  • Investor Relations
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Latest News
    • Right Colors for your Skin Tone
    • MOST ACTIVE NASDAQ After-Hours
    • iPhone 5C Release Date
    • Samsung Galaxy S5 Release Date
    • The History of the Atkins Diet

DNA Could Influence Our Food Cravings

November 6, 2015 By Georgia Dawson Leave a Comment

Email, RSS Follow
"Several portions of fries and cheeseburgers."

Several portions of fries and cheeseburgers.

STATES CHRONICLE – DNA could influence our food cravings and be responsible for the high quantity of foods high in sugar and fat that we consume. Research made public recently has shown that the DNA contains some genetic variants that increase the brain’s reward response when it comes to fats and sugar and the foods that contain high amounts of these things.

In a study conducted at Imperial College London, two such genetic variants were discovered, located near the FTO gene, which has already been associated with increased obesity risk, and near the DRD2 gene.

Researchers stated that, depending on what version of the DRD2 gene subjects possessed, the people that also had the FTO variation showed something different: the reactions in their brains when seeing high calorie food items differed. For these people, a part of the brain called the striatum showed increased activity when they were looking at high calorie food.

This is important news, as the DRD2 variant is responsible for altering how dopamine is distributed within the brain. It also suggests that people with the FTO variant are at greater risk of becoming obese because of the dopamine signals in their brains, which increase the feeling of craving when they see foods that are high in sugar and fat and causes them to consume more food items that contain these ingredients.

The researchers used MRI to scan participant’s brain responses and monitor them while showing the subjects pictures of high-calorie and low-calorie foods. Aside from the MRI observation, participants were also asked to rate the pictures containing the food items based on how appetizing and appealing the food looked. Their DNA was also tested so that researchers could look for the faulty gene variation.

This new discovery could help scientists better understand the biological causes of behavioral patterns associated with the development of obesity. It could also help doctors understand how and why people suffering from obesity respond differently to one treatment or the other. For instance, people with this gene variation may have a different reaction to certain obesity treatments, as their craving is triggered by certain types of food and the cause of this craving is on a neurological level.

In the future, the discovery of these gene variants could also help doctors develop better, more personalized treatments for patients suffering from obesity. Treatments could become more targeted and more efficient depending on determining facts such as the faulty genes a person has. This could lead to the treatment of obesity at an individualized level, according to the patient’s medical history and genetic construct as well.

Image source: www.pixabay.com

Email, RSS Follow

Filed Under: Health

About Georgia Dawson

What Georgia best loves about journalism is the intricacies of covering a story. Following a lead, talking to people or conducting under-the-hood investigations is what fuels Georgia’s drive for this profession.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 30 other subscribers

Doom and MiniDoom 2

Volunteer-Based Mexican Studio Releases Sidescrolling Doom Clone

March 12, 2018 By Georgia Dawson Leave a Comment

Chinese Mom and locked iPhone.

Toddler Locks Chinese Mom Out of Phone for Half a Century

March 9, 2018 By James Faulkner Leave a Comment

Alexa laughing

Amazon Alexa Laughing out of the Blue Puzzles Engineers

March 8, 2018 By Jack M. Robinson Leave a Comment

Flippy and the Burgers

Meet Flippy, World’s First Fast-Food Robotic Chef

March 6, 2018 By Georgia Dawson Leave a Comment

System Shock

System Shock Remastered Delayed, Nightdive Studios CEO Announces

February 19, 2018 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

Sea of Thieves.

Sea of Thieves Optimized for Low-End PCs

February 14, 2018 By Georgia Dawson Leave a Comment

Sony and VR

Sony Touts New Generation of VR Controllers

January 31, 2018 By Deborah Cobing Leave a Comment

YouTube

YouTube Stiffens Its Monetization Policy to Discourage Spammers and Bad Actors

January 18, 2018 By Georgia Dawson Leave a Comment

Google Art Doppelganger

Google App Can Now Show Your Art Doppelganger

January 15, 2018 By Troy Rubenson Leave a Comment

YouTube mobile app logo on a smartphone

YouTube Now Enables Vertical Videos on iOS

December 24, 2017 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

Samsung Galaxy S2 with a shattered screen

Cracked Smartphone Screens Are a Thing of the Past – Self-Healing Polymer Gets Fixed Just by Pressing It

December 20, 2017 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

Bing logo on a white background

Bing Improves Its Search Results with the Help of AI and Reddit Integration

December 16, 2017 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

White hashtag on a blue background

Follow Your Interests on Instagram by Directly Following Hashtags

December 14, 2017 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge on a leather seat

Samsung Galaxy Smartphones Make More People Happier as Compared to iPhones

December 13, 2017 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

Related Articles

  • image of retina

    Laser Pointer Makes Hole in Little Boy’s Retina

    Jun 21, 2018
  • person playing a video game

    World Health Organization Officially Recognizes Gaming Disorder

    Jun 19, 2018
  • two robot hands

    Sex Robots Don’t, In Fact, Provide Any Heath Benefits (Study)

    Jun 6, 2018
  • women's health initiative logo

    Some Breast Cancer Patients Can Skip Chemotherapy (Study)

    Jun 4, 2018
  • bowl of vitamin supplements

    Vitamin and Mineral Supplements are Useless (Study)

    May 31, 2018
  • two cockroaches on a leaf

    Cockroach Milk, The Latest Superfood Trend

    May 29, 2018
  • seafood on platter

    Seafood Boosts Libido and Fertility (Study)

    May 25, 2018
  • Vitamin D pills

    Vitamin D Therapy to Treat Diabetes and Cancer (Study)

    May 14, 2018
  • woman with a runny nose

    Woman’s Runny Nose Was Actually Brain Fluid Leak

    May 8, 2018
  • children running

    Children are in Better Shape than Athletes (Study)

    Apr 25, 2018

Categories

  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Markets
  • National News
  • Nature
  • News
  • Politics
  • Science
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • World

Copyright © 2021 statechronicle.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Contact

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more.